The Jewish Transcript, Seattle
November 24, 1988
Viewpoint
The Old De Hirsch Synagogue A Priceless Treasure
by Ken Akiva Segan
Our present is built upon our past, and a part of our past lies within the old Temple De Hirsch synagogue at 16th Avenue and Union Street, abandoned to the roost of pigeons and wayfaring transients asleep on its outer portico.
The resemblance of the De Hirsch synagogue to those of today’s Poland is striking, if not amazing: Ornate classical architectural lines and finely-hewn embellishments worthy of another era, set in today’s age of obelisks and canyon-like metal and glass megastructures.
I had the wonderfully enlightening opportunity to study and travel in Poland in 1984 and 1985, during which time I visited the sites of many old and illustrious institutions, all of which reflect a glorious heritage which barely exists in the Poland of today.
We in the greater Seattle area have a beautiful and priceless work of art, the De Hirsch synagogue, in our midst. Yet we are complacent enough to allow this gem of architecture and history – our Seattle and American Jewish history - to engage the executioner.
This executioner won’t be wearing a black hood of lighting the fire of an auto-da-fe, but he will be moving a lever on the cab of a wrecking ball. At that moment in time, we will have abandoned to the winds of forgetfulness and carelessness a part of our Jewishness in a way which equals the work of assimilation, intermarriage and the strivings of a younger generation of Jewish Americans for identity, but rarely find it within the halls of the traditional Jewish establishment.
If we give up our symbols, whether those of space, as in architecture, of ornaments, as in the beloved Star of David and the Chai, or of sounds, like the refrains of Yiddish and Ladino folk music, what have we left?
THAT THE TEMPLE De Hirsch building faces destruction is no less a disgrace than the tragedy which befalls the scores of ancient synagogues and cemeteries that dot the map of Poland today. What was a thriving place of worship, study and community barely 50 years ago, I snow stripped bare of its past.
This structural fate parallels the ongoing death of Judaism in Poland. The small Jewish population diminishes annually, as the aging survivors succumb to a litany of afflictions.
There are few funds in Poland for building restoration, and Jewish buildings are not high on the priority list of those deemed worthy of saving. Not only the facades of scores of ancient buildings disintegrate, but the infrastructure as well.
But what is our excuse? If we are only left with photographs, artworks and our memories, we shall surely be the losers. A living Jewish life is contingent upon our remembrance of who our parents and neighbors were, and what their relationship we might have to the children who will follow in our footsteps.
Our monuments need not be like relics on a museum wall. In Cracow, Poland today you can view “Jewish life” in a display akin to a museum of natural history at the old synagogue on Szeroka Street in that city, which dates back to the 14th century. There, my ancestors have been reduced to an old collection of glass cases housing ornamental bric-a-brac and mounted photographs on the wall.
Will the greater Seattle Jewish community mobilize itself to raise a substantial portion of the money need to restore the former Temple De Hirsch? Do I hear of corporate matching funds from the business community? Do I hear of Hebrew and Sunday school students writing essays on why we should save our historical Temple synagogue?
DO I HEAR the synagogues and community centers prominently displaying fund-raising signs detailing monthly goals aspired towards? Do I see and visit other artists, Jew and Gentile, making artworks of and about the Temple, to contribute to a major fund-raising auction?
Do I hear Jewish seniors giving talks at the close of Shabbot services on what the building means to them? Do I read that the Board and congregation of Temple De Hirsch have scheduled a special meeting to “reopen the case of the vacant Temple sanctuary and offices?”
Do I hear of a Jewish community proudly and enthusiastically working towards a goal which will make their children and children’s children proud?
A coalition of arts organizations now leads the effort to save two landmark buildings – the Emerald Palace Theatre and the old Temple De Hirsch synagogue. I hope the greater Seattle Jewish community will heed the call and join in with them. If not now, when? After the developers advertise for new office buildings and condominium vacancies on the site of the old Temple building?
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Ken Akiva Segan is a Seattle artist